Psychiatry

Past research has provided insight into the dysfunction of reward-related processes common to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), two frequently co-occurring disorders. However, it is unclear which domains of reward functioning are unique to ADHD and which to AUD. This study, published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, attempted to identify unique symptom dimensions and...

It is estimated that a large percentage of patients with ADHD do not adhere to their medication. This study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, examined ADHD medication adherence during the transition from adolescence to adulthood and its association with adverse medical outcomes. The study assessed ADHD medication adherence and any ADHD medication use in patients...

Some studies have found that adults with ADHD tend to have worse health outcomes than those without ADHD. This study, published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, sought to compare the odds of five health outcomes in adults with and without ADHD. The outcomes included injury, physical health conditions, functional limitations, fair/poor health, and psychological distress.  The...

The persistent disparity between male and female diagnosis and treatment of ADHD was once viewed as a neurobiological propensity for males to have ADHD. However, contemporary research suggests that this observation is actually related to a lack of recognition and referral bias when evaluating female patients for ADHD.  This consensus statement, published in BMC Psychiatry, sought to improve...

Noteworthy trends have shifted the landscape of ADHD diagnosis and treatment. This study, published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, analyzed data from over 250,000 individual office visit records in the United States between 2008 and 2013. Logistic regression models were used to control for demographics, insurance type, psychiatric comorbidities, and time period.  The study data were...

As the fight for health equity continues, disparities in ADHD diagnosis and treatment are beginning to enter the national spotlight. This study, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, reviewed the literature on the topic to date.  The researchers systematically gathered past studies on children with ADHD that included racial and ethnic information....

Within the United States, Kentucky has one of the highest rates of ADHD diagnosis and treatment. This study, published in Ethnicity & Disease, sought to determine the prevalence of youth ADHD diagnosis and treatment by race/ethnicity and geography.  The study included 6 to 17-year-olds with and without ADHD who received Kentucky Medicaid in 2017. It relied...

A recent study suggests that functional brain connectivity patterns are a stable biomarker of ADHD. Researchers from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY), applied a machine-learning approach to brain imaging data and were able to identify with nearly 100% accuracy the adult study participants who had been diagnosed with ADHD...

In recent years, the number of newly diagnosed ADHD cases has increased dramatically. Along with the rise in cases, awareness of the disorder has also increased. However, few large-scale studies have been conducted to examine the link between ADHD and dementia. One large observational study at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found a link between...